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Day after TOI report on eviction of HIV+ children, landlord takes them back

JAIPUR: Taking a strong view of the TOI report on HIV positive children asked to vacate a rented accommodation by the landlord, officials of the district administration and the medical and health department on Thursday visited the place to ensure that the children were being evicted just for being HIV positive.

After the intervention of the team, people living in the neighborhood and the landlord allowed the HIV positive children to stay in the present accommodation.

The district administration team reached the Aanchal Care Home early morning and counselled residents of the area.

After the team left, Rajasthan Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (RNP+) president Brijesh Dubey said, “Now every problem has been resolved. We can live here at the present accommodation. We have an agreement for two years. The landlord is also helping us a lot.”

He said that the visit by the district administration officials and the medical and health department made the difference.

As the district administration interfered into the matter and resolved the issue, smiles are back on the faces of the HIV positive children.

Earlier, RNP+ had written in an e-mail which was sent to TOI on Wednesday stating, “Just after six days’ stay in the present home at Bharat Marg, Hanuman Nagar, the house owner forced the children to vacate the house with immediate effect due to pressure from neighboring people.” They had also met district collector Navin Mahajan asking him for a solution of the issue.

The team of district administration officials, including ADM (South) Jaswant Singh and also chief medical and health officer (Jaipur) O P Thankan, along with policemen reached Bharat Marg in Hanuman Nagar and met the residents, housing complex society office bearers and neighbours to talk about the issue.

Singh said office bearers of the society told them that they had never asked the children to leave. “The neighbours told us that they are ready to help the children. They also told us that they did not ask the children to leave the house,” he said.

Thankan apprised the neighbours that stay of the children does not make them vulnerable. He also told them about the misconceptions of HIV/AIDS.

Bharat Marg, where 19 HIV positive children, who have lost their parents, live is one of the posh areas of the city. Aanchal Care Home, has been running since May 2010, and shifted to a new accommodation on November 3 this year.

Aanchal Care Home seeks children’s fundamental rights, fun-filled childhood with access to health, education, nutrition, psycho-social support and a safe environment free from stigma and discrimination.